A Walking Man

You know, when I was a kid I could never beat Super Mario Brothers. I remember when we first received the original Nintendo and how excited we were. It came as a shared gift between my brother Jon and I and we played it for hours on end. I never managed to get better though, my brothers all started conquering level by level and to this day I never managed to do so. Maybe this says something about my competency level. Well, I will have you know that I think I am worse today than I was all those years ago. I think they have made the game harder. Somehow Jared never ceases to be entertained by our incompetence. We found ourselves playing again tonight at Jared's bedside in his new room here at the hospital.

Yes, Jared has officially graduated from the ICU. We had hopes of making the move last night, but they didn't have any open rooms available. We are grateful on many fronts to be where we are tonight. I think for me it means that we are that much closer to being with Gabrielle and Bradley in our own home. We finally invested in a portable web cam and have talked with them a bit over the internet. I think it is really good for Jared to see them, although I know it makes him miss it all so much.

Jared and Gabrielle have a very fun relationship. Where Jared is so very quiet at times, Elle can be quite the opposite. You will hear from across the house such belly laughter from Jared as Elle lays the jokes and humor on thick. They can go on and on and we just sit there and love every minute of it. Jared said yesterday that the thing that makes him the saddest while being here is how much he misses Gabrielle and Bradley. Jaime and I sat in our seats yesterday in tears as we watched Jared write a letter to Gabrielle and Bradley, of his own free will, that said, " I miss you" in balloon letters with a red heart on it. We are grateful that we are one step closer to being together again.

As for an update on Jared's condition, he has officially stepped foot outside of the bed twice today. The first steps were a total of about 20 feet and the next was a walk totaling about fifty yards. Jared started physical therapy so I am sure they will have him advancing on all of this daily while he is here. I think tomorrow they will have him bench pressing and doing ladders.

Jared went in for a neck and skull base X-ray today and it all looks very positive. Dr. Gardner, a neurosurgeon, examined the films and indicated that all looked well and felt that he would be free of the neck collar shortly. This is great because it all points to the fact that he will no longer have to have his neck fused. Despite the lack of a final analysis from a radiologist, he was confident enough to remove the collar tonight and informed us that his only need for the collar, for now, will be when he is out of bed. He does complain of some pain, but in general is doing very well with the change.

The hoses extending from Jared's body are getting fewer and fewer. We are very hopeful that tomorrow we can loose the feeding tube through his nose and get Jared some good old fashioned cafeteria food. Tomorrow at 11:30 we are taking Jared to the ENT clinic for the swallowing test. He will eat a variety of foods at varying consistencies, all doped with blue dye. This will all be observed through a tiny camera entering the nose. If all goes well, we are then one step closer to returning Jared to as normal a life as we can (cafeteria food) at this moment.

We spoke with Dr. Gardner for a while regarding Jared's tumor, radiation and the possibilities of recurrence. Jared has received excellent care and has been at the hands of some of the finest surgeons in the country. Jared will also be receiving radiation treatment in approximately 6-8 weeks under the care of a doctor who has dedicated a lot of his time to Chordoma tumors. We have been blessed with so many miracles for Jared at this point in his life. We have been on our knees on many occasions, praying that we can make Jared's life as normal and comfortable as possible. Our prayers have been answered and we have been blessed with this optimal scenario. However long Jared is with us, he will be much happier and much better off than the other alternatives. We must pray for medications and treatments to become available in the near future that can treat and hopefully stop the incidence of recurrence of Chordoma tumors.

I must admit, it is a daunting road that lies before us and at times very sureal, but I am so grateful for the purpose and meaning that is found at every step of the way.